First Day
by O.C.Annie
Summary: Six year old Ryan's first day of school


1**Title:** First Day

**Rating/Warnings: **very minor swearing

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing in relation to the O.C.

**Summary:** In my story **Mornings** I had written about six year old Ryan. He wanted to come out and play some more, so this is his first day of school.

**First Day**

Ryan sat on the front steps waiting for his brother on the first day of school. He was really excited, and decided to wait outside, so that he wouldn't wake up his mommy and Roy. He had gone out of his way to be a good boy in the past few days, so that he wouldn't have a black eye to bring with him to school. Trey told him it wouldn't be a good to show up at school that way. Even he had managed not to be a smart ass, and that almost never happened.

Trey said that school was stupid and a waste of time, but Ryan didn't care. He really wanted to go and learn lots. Maybe, if he learned how to read, he wouldn't be such a pest. He couldn't help it sometimes. He just really wanted to know what stuff said on the t.v. He tried to ask his mom, but she didn't feel good most of the time, so she wasn't much help. There was Roy, his mom's boyfriend, but Ryan knew better than to ask him. He didn't have time for stupid, little brats and their dumb-ass questions. He could ask Trey. He always helped Ryan, but now that he was going into the fifth grade, he liked to hang around with his friends. He was hardly ever at home anymore. Ryan really missed him.

That was another reason he wanted to go to school. When Trey was around, Ryan wasn't so scared. Trey protected and watched out for him. He would stop Ryan from doing dumb little kid stuff that would make Mommy and Roy mad. Trey would even take the blame for stuff Ryan had done. He always felt bad when Trey did that. Sometimes, Trey couldn't sit down for two or three days after Roy got done punishing him. Ryan would always tell him he was sorry, and he would try harder not to be such a brat. Trey said not to worry about it, because that was what big brothers were for. Trey was the best brother ever.

"Hey, Ry. Whatcha doing?" Trey sat down next to him on the steps.

"Waiting for you. Did you see my new backpack?" It wasn't really new. They had found it at the thrift store, but it looked pretty good. Ryan had even gotten to pick it out all by himself.

"Yeah, about fifty times, baby bro. I got something for you to put in that new backpack of yours."

"Really? Let me see." Ryan was excited. They didn't have a lot of stuff. Whenever, they received anything it was always a big deal. Mommy said she didn't have the money to waste on bratty kids who didn't appreciate how hard she had to work for a dollar. Ryan tried to always say thank you, even when he knew it was things other people didn't want anymore.

Trey lifted his coat in the back and produced notebooks and pencils with Ryan's favorite cartoon

characters on them.

"Cool! But Mom told me to go to the office and ask for the free supplies."

"Well, Mom can shove that free crap. I'm tired of being a charity case and that stuff is cheap and boring. I never had anything good when I was your age."

"But where did you get the money?" All of a sudden Ryan's stomach started hurting. He realized how Trey got him his school supplies. "You stole them. Trey, you could get in big trouble."

"You worry too much. Besides you only get in trouble when you get caught and that ain't going to happen. I'm the best. Now quit your bellyaching and let me look at you."

Trey looked Ryan over.

"We did pretty good, shorty, not a mark on either one of us."

He gave a short laugh. Ryan didn't like it when Trey laughed like that. Nothing was ever funny and it made Trey seem older and meaner. Sometimes, Roy had that same laugh. Ryan shook his head. He didn't want to think like that. Trey wasn't anything like Roy.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"I'm not a baby, Trey. I need to mind my own business, don't do anything to make people notice me, and sometimes trip and run into stuff."

"That's right, little brother. They're going to believe you get your bruises from falling a lot easier if they think you're clumsy."

"But what about during recess? I don't want to be some loser who always gets picked last." He didn't mean to whine, but he was really good at sports.

"Listen, you can either do what I tell you, or you can be the captain of the kick-ball team at a group home. It's your choice."

"I'm sorry. I'll do what you say." Ryan started to cry.

Trey sighed and put his arm around him. "I'm sorry, too, but we have to be careful. If the teachers find out what really goes on around here, they'll take us away. I wouldn't care if I ever saw Mom or her drug-head boyfriends again, but they might split us up. We have got to stick together, no matter what."

Ryan's crying had been reduced to a few sniffles.

"It's okay, Trey. I get it. I don't really care about recess anyway." He began to slip his hand into his brother's.

"Oh no, you don't. I am not letting anyone see me hold my kid brother's hand. I have a reputation to protect."

He looked down into his brother's trusting eyes.

"Damn, you and those eyes," he muttered. "Okay, you can hold my hand, but let go when we get within five blocks of school."

Ryan smiled.

"Everything will be all right as long as we're together. Right, Trey?"

Trey gave his brother's hand a slight squeeze.

"You got it baby brother, as long as we're together."

The End


End file.
